Hello there,
My name is The Gaming Sultan, I currently have a rapidly growing YouTube channel and I would like to give some insight into WW3 as a game and how it will progress throughout early access. You see I, like many, am super excited about the prospect that a game like WW3 could potentially be the sweet spot for Battlefield and FPS fans who have been disappointed with the titles that have launched in the past few years. Pair that with the fact that the developers are very open to community feedback, and it is no wonder why people are so excited.
Yes, the game did have a very rocky launch, but so did BF4 (keep in mind that it was a developed by a multi-billion dollar company with many resources) so I think it is fair we give the devs some slack. The launch could have been more prepared for and early access certainly is not an excuse, but If I were you, I certainly would not dismiss WW3 because of all of the early issues, trust me, you will be missing out.
I genuinely think that WW3 has so much potential and that is why I would like to do all I can both as a youtuber and a gamer to help. I would like to present some ideas that could shift the course of WW3 and putting to becoming one of the best titles to release this year: so devs, hopefully you are listening closely.
Let us proceed
List of changes, ideas, and improvements:
Optimization, net code, overall game performance: Of course before the devs can do anything when it comes to gameplay and features, they must focus improving the the play-ability of the game. This is of-course obvious so there is not point in spending much time talking about it here.
The gun play is phenomenal, but...: This is something that the devs got right on. Perhaps most enjoyable about this game so far is the exchange of fire with the opponent. It makes eliminations truly satisfying and not bland or empty as they feel in many other fps. Might I add that the "clanging" noise that you hear as projectiles hit a beam or wall behind you is a very nice touch that adds to the overall immersion of the game, however; I think that this feature, although a good start, can be enhanced even more with other ambient noises of combat (we will talk about audio soon as well). Additionally, I think the cover system and peaking can be improved VASTLY. There should be more peaking positions, for example, there should be the ability to peak on horizontal ledges, through peepholes, etc. Peaking should also be more efficient and there should be an option to press "q" or "e" once and peak without the need to hold them (like rainbows 6 siege). In the future, I would like to see system where if your soldier is hit in a certain place, that place becomes affected( for example, hit on the leg=sprint slower). Of course this would only be added to a more realistic/tactical game-mode(we will get into game modes later on).
MAPS: I found the maps to be genuinely enjoyable to play. Some map ideas include: A sea port. A nuke-town map (like the black ops series) but on a MUCH larger scale, a desert map, and other map ideas that take inspiration from game like R6 and B02, but on a much larger scale. I also hope the maps become more interactive and that collateral damage (destruction, bullet holes, etc.) are more abundant. It would also be cool to incorporate some type of pre-programmed event that happens on certain map (for example: in bo2, when the match ended, the nuke dropped) during the match. One thing that I noticed was the fact that non of the maps had elevation. Almost all building I entered only limited me to one story and had little windows and peaking spots. Something that can hopefully be changed to add new dynamics to map flow.
GAME-MODES: This is where I will spend a lot of time. The current-game modes are OK, but the premise of the game (the theme of WORLD WAR, etc.) can be expanded greatly. I propose adding a few more game-modes that reflect the theme of the game better. Game mode ideas include:
A Tactical Mode: This is all out realism and immersion. You are with a squad. The squad leader is assigned to the player with the highest rank. You must follow squad orders and play in a tactical manner. The health is much more realistic. The squad leader can give direct and specific commands and his character can use hand signals (for example: press "t" to tell your squad to keep a low profile, etc.) if the squad mates follow the order, the whole squad gains battle-points. Once a squad has a certain amount of battle-points, they can call in artillery, air support etc. In this game mode, if you are hit in a certain area, that area is effected (example: hit in the leg, you sprint slower). Your health will decrease overtime until you get medical attention by the squad medic. Many other details like this can be incorporated to make a fun tactical mode for those who like that type of play.
War Mode: This is a mode similar to the normal mode, but the difference is that you are fighting for one zone rather than small objectives. For example, let us say that you are playing on the Warsaw map. Your team must capture a whole zone (similar to BF1 conquest) and than you can proceed to push the enemy back into the second zone, and the 3rd zone and so forth. This is a more warlike game-mode, which makes things linear, chaotic, and a bunch of fun.
Capture and Defend: This will probably be one of my favorites. In this game-mode, you and your team, must set-up defenses around your strong-hold using mines, defensive artillery, etc. While you do that, the enemy team will prepare to attack the defended strong-hold. They may set up artillery, maybe take a tank or 2, send a scout, soften up defenses with an airstrike, hack defense systems, etc. After the prep-time has finished the battle will begin and the team who has prepared the best will win!
Squad Play: To put it this way, squad play is quite bad. There is very little initiative for squads to collaborate and the whole dynamic is shallow. I think the best way to address this is, 1) make a more efficient way to communicate with squad. 2) give squad mates and incentive to work together. For example, if you stay close to squad leader, you gain battle-points, if you follow orders, you gain battle-points. There should also be a rendezvous system, to where the squad leader can call upon squad to meet at a certain location on the map (of course following this order will also give more battle-points). The squad leader should also be assigned based on rank.
HUD: The interface for the soldier can be vastly improved. Also, there should be the ability to set way points, and if a tank or vehicle is spotted, there should be the ability for players to point it out and for it to appear on the map if seen.
Firing Range and Score Streak testing: This is a MUST. If I am going to create a class, I would like to at-least try it before playing a match. Is that too much to ask?
Score streaks: Score Streak are o.k. Hopefully we can see more creative ones with much more functionality and creativity.
Animations and Audio: This is a major weak point. i understand that the devs are a small group, and resources are limited. Hopefully the audio and animations can be improved to be more immersive and smooth. Also, there should be a symbol that lets me know if I am crouched, standing, or in prone. Countless times I have run across the map thinking I am standing when it turns out I was running crouched.
Spawning: Spawning is not that bad. I have been caught a few times, but I think there is still much more room for improvement with the spawns.
Communication: Voice Chat Please.
Class System, player look, and Weight Dynamic: I think that the create a class system is a good start, but of course, it can be improved. Some attachments seem useless, and many are unclear about their actual function. The stats page is hard to read. I also think the background should be changed when editing a class (Not sure if you are standing on a moon or what). When it comes to player look and customization, I am impressed with the options, although I hope to get a little more freedom in terms of what I can change. In terms of the weight dynamic, I think the idea is phenomenal, but it can be improved greatly. More specifically, I think that the weight-armor relationship can be clarified in more a user friendly manner. Additionally, there should be a way to test the different armor plates and their effectiveness.
Objectives: The objectives in the game can improved drastically in two ways, placement, and type of objective. Currently, some objectives are placed in good locations that provide opportunity for exciting gun-play, while others are placed in boring locations where nothing happens and one teammate ends up capturing it with no contention. In the WW3 trailer, we saw an exciting showdown that happened in the underground garage in the WARSAW map. I have only been to that spot once and I am certain half the players don't even know it is there. imagine if an objective was placed there. That would be an exciting point of contention. Additionally, the objectives themselves lacks creativity. All you have to do is stand there and hope nobody comes and watch the objective shift in your favor. Why not add a variety? For example. One objective would be a communication tower that you must capture in order to bolster your team's communications and make them resistant to a enemy jammer. One person on your team will hack the tower, while teammates defend him against enemy fire. He will have to hack the tower-using some in-game puzzle. The faster can hack the tower, the easier it is for his team to defend him. Once the tower is captured, the enemy team will save their BP for another score streak because they know that it will be noneffective. All it takes is a few simple changes (like this) to make the BIGGEST difference.
Story Mode Maybe?: The theme of the game (if you still don't know what it is let me give you a hint: WW3) is actually interesting. I was surprised to find out that no other game has explored it. This may sound far fetched, but maybe a story-mode would not be such a bad idea. Of-course, that would come way later on, but it would definitely be cool to see. (Maybe you guys can get some help from cd-projekt red, I heard they are great at story-lines).
Final Thoughts: What excites me most about WW3 is not what it is now, but what it has the potential to be. Yes, it had a rough start, but we must put that behind us and focus on helping the devs improve the game. I had the opportunity to play on the BETA test for the new patch. I must say, I was impressed with how much the devs actually fixed. My frames where finally somewhat stable and the UI was improved greatly. This is proof that the team is working diligently to make improvements. Keep in mind, this is a small development team, if we the community discourage them from the get go, than they will not be as inclined to improve the game and that is why we need to be patient. Yes, we still have a lot ahead of us, but I am confident that this game will be what dethrones the down-hill battlefield series. That is why you should support it, I certainly will.
TO THE DEVS: Remember, the smallest of changes can yield the biggest of differences. Please continue your original sentiment of listening to the community. I urge you not to take the approach the big companies have.
Please feel free to leave your suggestions below! If you have ideas, let me know and I will add them here. Thank you for reading!